Examples of recent questions relating to the Barnsley Building Society Conveyancing Panel from members of the public
What is the rationale as to why all property lawyers aren't included on the Barnsley Building Society Conveyancing panel?
Barnsley Building Society and other lenders tend to restrict either the type or the number of conveyancing solicitors on their panel. A common example of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that Barnsley Building Society have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Barnsley Building Society Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, Conveyancing is not their speciality? To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime; probably not.
My husband and I are refinancing our apartment with Barnsley Building Society. We have a son 19 who lives with us. The solicitor on the Barnsley Building Society conveyancing panel requested us to identify any adults other than ourselves who lives in the flat. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the property is forfeited by the lender. I have a couple of concerns (1) Is this document specific to the Barnsley Building Society conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we remortgaged 3 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this giving up his rights to inherit the property?
First, rest assured that your Barnsley Building Society conveyancing panel solicitor is doing the right thing as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Barnsley Building Society .This is solely used to protect the Barnsley Building Society if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave.
It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Barnsley Building Society had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.
Do all the firms listed on your search have online case tracking as I was under the impression that this was a precondition of being on the Barnsley Building Society conveyancing panel?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders or BSA do not require online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.
My grandfather passed away six months ago and as sole heir and executor was left the property. The house had a relatively small loan left on it of around £8000. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Barnsley Building Society , pay off the mortgage etc. Is this allowed?
If you intend to re-mortgage then Barnsley Building Society will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Barnsley Building Society conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Barnsley Building Society conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Barnsley Building Society mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
How can we tell if a solicitor on the Barnsley Building Society panel is any good?
seeking recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always advocate that you speak with the lawyer carrying out your transaction
Completion of my purchase has taken place with a loan from Barnsley Building Society. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about Barnsley Building Society. How does one go about formally complaining?
Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the Barnsley Building Society branches or the Customer Services Department at Barnsley Building Society head office. In most cases complaints to Barnsley Building Society are resolved effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is resolved you can write to the
Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
Intending to buy a house with a mortgage with Barnsley Building Society. I have received an online quote from a licensed conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Barnsley Building Society conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that they are on the Barnsley Building Society conveyancing panel